Stalwart

"A decade ago, Stalwart was the ass-end of jokes Tiersmen tell each other. The people of Stalwart are obnoxiously proud of a long history of being invaded and never losing. The Disfavored put an end to their vaunted record of victory."

- Eb

The proud nation of Stalwart was one of the last to fall to Kyros' armies during the years of conquest.

Background
Settled along the southeastern peninsula of the Tiers, Stalwart lays claim to the tumultuous eastern seas, and the nation has long filled its coffers by tolling the coast. The people of Stalwart are fiercely proud of having never lost a war (other than civil war) on their own soil, despite numerous forays into their neighbors’ lands. Some of its most notable engagements were with the Free Cities and their vast mercenary armies, including the Battle of Nineth's Gorge of 253 TR, when they attempted to seize territory by destroying an enemy force in an ambush with boiling pitch in the eponymous gorge (prevented by recon and commissioning a shield that protected the troops passing through the gorge single file) and the Battle of Quelling Field of 398, when the mercenary army advancing on Stalwart's farmlands and nearly winning the day was repulsed by the Dauntless and the wave of patriotic cheer it inspired, sending  the mercenary army into retreat. In fact, the only real occasion when Stalwart lost a war was civil war: The separation of Sunder that occurred in 347 TR, ending hostilities between the sides in a treaty that stipulated that Stalwart did not just lose a civil war, but rather, the two amicably parted ways.

The Unbroken Blades met their match when they faced the might of the Disfavored legion. Though largely defeated in battle, the last remaining leader of Stalwart, Regent Straydus Herodin, fell back to their nigh-impenetrable fortress of Sentinel Stand and refused to meet the Disfavored in one last, decisive battle. In the year 430 TR, Kyros proclaimed the Edict of Storms on the realm of Stalwart to punish this cowardice. Kyros' Edict blanketed the peninsula with endless storms, giving the enemy a chance to hide in their castle and watch their lands wither. The blasted realm is now known as the Blade Grave. The terms of the Edict specified that the storms would gust without mercy until the last member of the Regent bloodline - the rulers of Stalwart - met his or her death.

A year of brutal weather devastated the once-mighty Realm of Stalwart, all but wiping it from the map. There isn't much left of the old country, save for the Unbroken and their stubborn pride. The region is now known as the Blade Grave, with the destroyed realm referred to as the Stalwart-That-Was. The Unbroken continue to wage a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Disfavored occupying the land, hoping to remove them from their territory and establish a new nation, breaking with the incestuous traditions of the Regents. Stalwart-To-Be would be a land by the people, for the people. But for that, Straydus Herodin must first die to break the edict.

Society
The Regents of Stalwart were the traditional ruling body of the realm. The leader of the Regents Council was known as the First Regent, and traditionally led the Unbroken Blades into battle. In 430 TR, Stalwart was ruled by a three-family dynastic alliance between Houses Straydus (current Regent), Sender, and Andromus.

Notably, of all the Younger Realms, Stalwart's ruling order has always been the most resistant to internal conflict thanks to the concentration of power in the hands of a few wealthy families - and the fact that the Regents have staved off all foreign invasions for centuries while every other realm in the Tiers cannot boast the same. Part of how the Regents maintained their dynasty was by way of inheritance. Houses Straydus, Sender, and Aspison amassed, over the centuries, a small trove of relics and guarded them fiercely down the generations. There's the magical sword the Dauntless, whomever the lead Regent was always wore the Helm of the First Regent, and one of them owned an ever-burning lamp, among other treasures.

During Kyros' conquest of Stalwart, the Regents refused to surrender even when Kyros' armies presented terms that would preserve the lives of their people. For their selfishness, they were hunted down and slaughtered - all except for the last Regent, Straydus Herodin, who was trapped within Sentinel Stand Keep by the Overlord's Edict.

Military
The Stalwart military was the Unbroken Union of Stalwart, commonly known as the Unbroken Blades. Every citizen of Stalwart was trained to fight, and all were expected to answer the rallying cry of the Regents. Notably, Stalwart had the lowest literacy rate across the Tiers.

During Conquest
Stalwart is one of three postings the Young Fatebinder can opt for in Year 3. The other options are Azure and the Vellum Citadel.